SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — Hurricane Ian flooded homes, knocked down trees and wiped out power to thousands of people in Florida.
In hard-hit Sarasota County, many people are still recovering from the storm, but Sarasota County Schools came together to support teachers and staff in need.
Hurricane Ian turned fourth-grade teacher Nikki Hill’s life upside down when she lost her entire home.
“About halfway through the storm, the roof ripped off,” Hill said. “We had water coming in everywhere, every fixture, outlet. It was pretty bad.”
Nearly two weeks later, she and many other families are still picking up the pieces from the storm, trying to get their lives back on track.
“We still have the garage to empty out, so finding your grandfather’s and grandmother’s belongings that’s the hardest part, but I know this too shall pass,” Hill said.
On Tuesday, the district rallied to support its own. Sarasota County Schools, in collaboration with community partners, held an employee assistance and disaster relief support event at the Suncoast Technical College North Port branch for Sarasota Schools employees impacted by Hurricane Ian.
“As you can see when you go in, and you see how many people are here, a lot of people lost their homes," Director of Innovation and Equity for Sarasota County Schools Dr. Harriet Moore said. "They lost their vehicles and their homes. They lost their roofs. They lost all of their belongings."
Dr. Moore said they anticipated about 300 school staff coming to the event.
FEMA was on site for housing assistance, while people in need could also get gift cards, talk with counselors, and pick up essential items and food.
“We’re just trying to be there to support them so that they can be healthy and whole because it’s hard to deal with that when you go, and everything that you’ve worked your whole life for is now gone, so we just want to try to give them a glimmer of hope,” Moore said.
The outreach didn’t just connect people to resources but lifted spirits.
“It is very heart-warming. I was just telling one of my coworkers I haven’t laughed this much since the storm hit,” Hill said.
Through it all, families are finding a way through the tough times by leaning on the community for support.
“I’ve been through a lot of hard times in my life, but this is definitely one of the hardest,” Hill said. “Just keep your head up and keep pushing forward.”